A mellow paced and captivating game of underwater exploration, crafting, and discovery, that feels more like a Subnautica expansion than a discrete sequel.

Probably the best Harvest Moon game ever with a successfully odd mix of farming and dungeon crawling.

Almost the perfect portable download, with a great gimmick exploited with skilful level design and gorgeous visuals and 3D effects.

A breath of fresh air for the Overwatch franchise, with the new game modes, characters, and mechanics all working together superbly well, for a genuinely exciting sequel.

Another uninspired expansion that features some enjoyable new enemies and encounters but fails to excite in the same way as the parent game.

A very disappointing sequel that features a few interesting new ideas but either streamlines the rest or leaves it out on purpose, for you to buy later as DLC.

Arguably the best Monster Hunter clone ever made and while it’s not quite as good as Capcom’s series it does have some unique and interesting ideas of its own – despite initial impressions to the contrary.

The best Formula 1 racer by default, although beyond the new retro additions very little has changed in this year’s game.

A very worthwhile expansion of the venerable strategy game, whose new features seem a natural, and surprisingly realistic, extension of the original game.

An enjoyable companion piece to Cuphead, but despite some fantastic enemy designs the single-mindedness and lack of visual variety doesn’t have quite the same charm.

A perfect recreation of an arcade classic (plus Magic Sword) and the new gold standard for retro gaming.

The best Call Of Duty for several years, but it still owes too much to the past – and the campaign’s attempts at a more serious tone are only half successful.

A deep space shipbreaking simulator with a mellow feel and a satirical edge, that’s only let down by a gameplay loop that eventually gets a little too repetitive.

Not the return to form that the SteamWorld franchise needed but still a fun and unusual strategy game, even if a lot of the newer features work against it.

One of the best Metroidvania games around, with some inspired visuals and great use of its Ancient Greek setting – despite some minor issues with the gameplay mechanics.

A New Frontier is definitely Telltale’s best attempt at serious drama since The Wolf Among Us, but it still makes mistakes that other series have already learned to avoid.

Not a bad start to the second season but not a great one either, with a formless plot and unusually weak characterisation.

A fantastically charming mix of golf sim and role-playing game, that smooths over its rough edges with its irreverent humour and wild imagination.

One of the most beautiful video games ever made, but the gameplay is a far less attractive proposition – especially in this barely-altered remake.

The best new feature has to wait till September but this is still a useful improvement on last year.

An excellent turn-based strategy that mixes tense battlefield tactics with an engrossing meta game of money-grabbing mercs and expensive-to-maintain mechs.

Three great 2D shooters, lovingly recreated and, in the case of RayStorm and RayCrisis, updated for the modern era – even if some corners have been cut.

A very competent Soulslike, with excellent combat and an attractive art style – it’s just a shame it barely even tries to do anything new.

A dark and comical action adventure with excellent combat mechanics, sharp writing, and a memorable cast of characters.

A considerable improvement on Quantic Dreams’ previous work, and while the storytelling is still flawed its tale of abused androids feels very human.

You'd never believe this was actually a PS3 game, but apart from the graphics this is the best Disgaea yet.

An excellent slice of DLC that genuinely feels like a missing part of the main story and features some of the best moments from the whole adventure.

Arguably gaming's most authentic crime story, as well as an excellent roaming beat 'em-up and (thug) life simulator.